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Gil Ott was my first publisher. He was also a a major presence for many in the arts in Philadelphia, and was one of the founding and sustaining forces of our poetry community; his memory and his influence are still strong.

I was honored to be part of a celebration of this man’s life, work, and poetry, at a book release and reading for Arrive On Wave: Collected Poems by Gil Ott, available now from Chax Press.

Many thanks to Ashley Sarra for this thoughtful write-up of Pattie McCarthy & me reading at U of Maine for the lovely Steve Evans.

Last Thursday, Oct. 27, the New Writing Series once again dazzled the audience with up-and-coming writers. Poets Pattie McCarthy and Jenn McCreary took the stage, charming listeners with imagery and repetition.“Both poets offer rewards…[and] bring to the table all the hard words,” Associate Professor Dr. Steve Evans said when introducing them.Link to full story here.

HOLLY AMOS is an animal rights advocate and vegan. She is the author of the full-length poetry collection CONTINUAL GUIDANCE OF AIR as well as the chapbook THIS IS A FLOOD, both from H_NGM_N BKS. Currently living in Chicago, she is the editorial assistant for Poetry and a poetry editor for Pinwheel; she also co-curated the recently wrapped Dollhouse Reading Series.

JENN McCREARY’s most recent full-length collection, & NOW MY FEET ARE MAPS, is available from Dusie Press; sections were recently adapted, with the playwright Kathy Vinogradoff, for performances at Small Press Traffic’s Poets Theater in Oakland, CA, & at the Asian Arts Initiative in Philadelphia. Other works include THE DARK MOUTH OF LIVING (Horse Less Press), :AB OVO: (Dusie Press), A DOCTRINE OF SIGNATURES (Singing Horse Press), & ODYSSEY & ORACLE (Least Weasel Press). A 2013 Pew Fellow in the Arts for poetry, she lives in Philadelphia with her family where she edits ixnay press.

This event is free. DAHLAK PARADISE serves delicious Eritrean/Ethiopian cuisine and a variety of beverages. It is near to Septa’s 34 trolley route, and there is free parking nearby.

How do our personal rituals—those we perform consciously and sometimes unconsciously—enhance our well-being and overall sense of self? What kind of magic emerges when ritual bleeds into art?

Join me this month when I moderate a discussion between two influential artists, Candy Chang (creator of the Before I Die participatory public art project and TED Senior Fellow) & CAConrad (award-winning author of eight books of poetry), for a discussion on the kinetic intersection of art, ritual, and mental health.

This free event is part of a series of public programs related to Candy Chang’s new mural project, The Atlas of Tomorrow, produced with The City of Philadelphia Mural Arts Program‘s Porch Light department. Porch Light is funded by the City of Philadelphia Department of Behavioral Health and Intellectual disAbility Services, and The Atlas of Tomorrow is made possible with additional support from the Hummingbird Foundation.

To learn more about Candy Chang’s project, The Atlas of Tomorrow, click here.
To read Poetry and Ritual by CAConrad, click here.

I am tremendously proud to announce the publication of worrywort, a collaboration with fellow Philadelphia poet Pattie McCarthy, now available for purchase, here.

Written over correspondence via text message & email while on (separate) vacations with our respective families during summer 2013, & revised/tidied up upon our return, worrywort should be read while listening to this.

PATTIE MCCARTHY is the author of six books: nulls (forthcoming, Horse Less Press), Quiet Book (forth-coming, Apogee Press), Marybones,Table Alphabetical of Hard Words, Verso, & bk of (h)rs. She is also the author of L&O, a chapbook published by LRL in 2011. A 2011 Pew Fellow in the Arts, she teaches at Temple University.

A project of little red leaves, the textile series takes the hand out of “hand-sewn chapbooks.” It’s real work in the age of mechanical reproduction. It’s the little sewing machine that could. It’s ironed and folded and sewn and pulled and the threads stick out.